Les Bowen

STAFF WRITER

Les Bowen has covered the Eagles since 2002. Before that, he covered the Flyers for 13 years. He came to the Daily News from the Charlotte Observer in May 1983, just as the Sixers were winning the NBA championship. He thought, "Gosh, this sort of thing must happen all the time here."

Two NFL assiistants the Eagles have interviewed, Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, are free to take NFL jobs, with their teams losing this weekend.

But the Eagles' trudge toward a new coach took a bizarre twist Sunday with the report from CSNPhilly.com's Reuben Frank that the team last week interviewed former Ravens coach Brian Billick. Billick was working as the analyst Sunday on FOX's broadcast of the Seattle-Atlanta game, and Eagles fans were among many across the country chuckling at his misstatements and bizarre opinions -- until they heard he might be their next coach.

At one point, Billick went on an extended riff about how Seattle might not go for it on fourth down near the Falcons'' goalline, because a field goal would make it a two-score game. But the Seahawks had just picked up a first down, and they trailed by 20 points.

Poll

Is Brian Billick a good option for the Eagles?

Yes.

No.

Only if he brings an in-his-prime Ray Lewis with him.

The Eagles interviewed McCoy last Sunday, the day before Frank says they interviewed Billick. They interviewed Bradley Saturday.

As tends to happen when your team loses a playoff game, neither McCoy nor Bradley covered himself in glory this weekend, but the problems of the Seattle defense seemed to have more to do with physical mismatches than with scheme or gameplan. McCoy must bear some of the brunt of an extremely conservative approach to the end of the game by Denver, which helped Baltimore come back to tie and then win in the second overtime.

Billick led the Ravens to the Super Bowl title following the 2000 season. No Super Bowl-winning coach has ever gone to another team and won again.